I just beat the story mode and am puzzled

[Vreki]

Re: I just beat the story mode and am puzzled

I agree. Many countries have strong armies, but the US have very high mobility. No other armed force is that specialized for pissing on other peoples lawns

Also, as of 2008 China was only surpassed by the US in military spending. But that surpassing was done by a factor 6, the US does over 40% of the worlds military spending.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_federations_by_military_expenditures

[LunaTiK TunaLiK]

Re: I just beat the story mode and am puzzled

What some people call "spread thin" others call "having a foot in the door." All conspiracies and publicly announced government/military war reasoning aside, what sits right between Afghanistan and Iraq?



What is close to S.Korea? Hint: It isn't just N.Korea. We are also pretty heavy in Japan.

We don't have close to 60,000 troops in Germany for the purpose of keeping an eye on Germany.

Check a military deployment map and see if you don't recognize a pattern.

If the US can find an excuse to throw troops in a country we think is a tactical position then you can bet we are going to throw some troops in.

If you think this is a disadvantage if a world war was to break out I personally don't care to read anymore of your opinions. I'm guessing the US keeps at least 80% of the military at home.

[Roamer]

Re: I just beat the story mode and am puzzled

Kaiser Wilhelm, I believe, once said in reference to the then most powerful navy in the world(The Royal Navy), 'a whale cannot fight an elephant'.

An army is only as good as the enemy that it is designed to fight. You want to argue over what is conventional war? It makes little difference and is largely moot when none of your wars are conventional.

In this case the US military and that of her allies is the whale.

[[Expletive Deleted]]

Re: I just beat the story mode and am puzzled

I don't believe they had ICBMs when Kaiser Wilhelm was around...

[Roamer]

Re: I just beat the story mode and am puzzled

ICBMs are completely useless against our current foes. Thus, they further highlight my point.

[[Expletive Deleted]]

Re: I just beat the story mode and am puzzled

Only if we insist on letting "innocent" people live. The failure to commit to total war is what has gotten us into this quagmire in the first place.

One person might say they're sicked by someone who advocates the killing of women and children. I think it's prudent to eliminate future enemies and the people who would raise them to be so.

[-Shifty-]

Re: I just beat the story mode and am puzzled

This is not completely true. In an insurgency the insurgent combatants are usually very committed to the cause.

I said a conventional war, not an asymmetrical war.

A high level of defeat or large amounts of casualties can have the reverse effect and can further commit the insurgents to see the war through. They basically have little to lose. Since it is their belief that they are doing 'God's work' they are willing to die and even revel in the fact of dying in the pursuit of their goals.

That's their choice, their beliefs, their problem.

The American military by contrast has none of those kinds of motivations. In fact, they are motivated by almost contradictory goals in the current wars.

When your family gets killed by terrorists (9/11) you go defend yourself. That's pretty motivational, especially if you're as patriotic and love your country as much as I do.

There is a better than even chance that the US and coalition forces will be defeated in either Iraq or Afghanistan or both.

If the U.S. would stop screwing around and actually fight the Taliban this would have been over a while ago. Some estimates think the U.S. will be fighting for another decade in the Middle-East.

[LunaTiK TunaLiK]

Re: I just beat the story mode and am puzzled

Shifty, Go back and read my post about deployment. You really think we care about the taliban? The reasons we went to war over there are nothing more than excuses.

That's their choice, their beliefs, their problem.

It doesn't take a military genius to figure out the more we kill the more enemies we make.

[vanilla]

Re: I just beat the story mode and am puzzled

Shifty, Go back and read my post about deployment. You really think we care about the taliban? The reasons we went to war over there are nothing more than excuses.


It doesn't take a military genius to figure out the more we kill the more enemies we make.

I was just going to say this.
America is obviously not in those countries to bring in peace and democracy. If they were, why not invade N.Korea and a few other African countries while they are on it.
In Iraq, you may have a population of 99% peace seeking people, but with yelling out total war and don't giving a **** about civilians you will gradually decrease that number until you fight the whole country.

[Roamer]

Re: I just beat the story mode and am puzzled

Shifty, that is why I said 'not completely'. Conventional war? It is a moot point. The US military is built to fight the next conventional war and there's isn't going to be one. The closest thing is what we have now, fighting a dedicated insurgency that completely believes in their cause.

The US military is dedicated, highly trained, and motivated. However, they are not fighting for their existence. It is a tour of duty.

[Redink]

Re: I just beat the story mode and am puzzled

Is it true that insurgents and terrorist have the upper hands because they do not have to worry about civilians?

[CptainCrunch]

Re: I just beat the story mode and am puzzled

Is it true that insurgents and terrorist have the upper hands because they do not have to worry about civilians?

I dont think so. This isnt always true because of other countries getting involved, but usually those civillians are the insurgance friends and neighbors.

They have the upper hand because they can blend in with them as well as manipulate media facilities through them. Other reasons too, but I think those are very important.

Crunch

[Vreki]

Re: I just beat the story mode and am puzzled

In the current conflicts, many of the insurgents are just as foreign as the western armies. They are fighting for a Cause(TM), not for the country or its people. And at other times there is a civil war going on. In both cases it is bad news for the civilian population.
For a typical example of "true" insurgents you could look at WWII, e.g. the Maquis